These ten students are changing the world one community at a time
People from all ages and backgrounds can come up with ideas to improve society. From addressing environmental concerns to conducting medical research, high school students from across the world have been recognized for the difference they are making in their communities with a Society for Science & the Public Community Innovation Award. In 2018, the Society rewarded 24 young scientists with $500 prizes.
Below, read more about some incredible projects our Community Innovation Award winners are doing to address local challenges.
- Matthew Bailey, John Nguyen and Nicole Rideout, high school students from Brevard, North Carolina, believe they can find novel sources of natural medicine in plants, specifically those next to waterfalls.
- Francielly Barbosa, from Moju, Brazil, believes she has some potential ideas to help make the foundations of buildings and homes safer in her country.
- Macdonald Chirara, a young scientist from Zimbabwe, wants to offer an alternative way to produce electricity for his community.
- Niki Gooya and Samyukta Rao, high school students from Ellicott City, Maryland created a noninvasive glucometer with which a person suffering from diabetes does not need to prick their finger.
- Jessica Nunn, a high school student at Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts (ASMSA) explored what it would take to reach the herd immunity threshold, which protects a community from disease by immunizing a critical mass of the population with flu vaccinations.
- Jack Van Straten, a high school student in Virginia, studied living shorelines and ones that were plagued by invasive coastal grass.
- Xian Tang, a senior at Caddo Magnet High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, wanted to increase the availability of these renewable sources of energy.
